Yarrow, Cold and Flu Buster!

photo by Nita Lind

YarrowI have decided to add a monthly post dedicated to herbs. In these posts I hope to expose you to and help you learn about the MANY benefits of plants that may be growing right under your feet. I want to share with you things I have tried and tested and hopefully do it in a fun and lighthearted way that won’t make you feel overwhelmed.

Herbs are awesome!You may have it in your mindset that herbs are a little weird and that only STRANGE people use herbs. I will admit I had a few judgements myself. I remember my first experience going into an herb store, and just the weird smell turned me off, (you know what I am talking about, right)? Just because you use herbs doesn’t mean your house is going to have the aroma of a health food store.

Over the years, I have intensively explored the alternative field and I have found many things that work through trial and error. In these upcoming posts I will share with you some home remedies we have tried and what HAS WORKED for us. I say “we” because I have used these remedies on myself and my family.At first they thought I was a little strange when I had them drink some odd tasting herbal concoction, or when I crushed up a plant growing in the yard to put on a bee sting. However, now they come to me and ask what they can use when they have a headache, or are experiencing an ailment of some kind. They ask because they know these things really do work.

With all the crud going around this time of year, I am going to start out with one of my favorite herbs:

I will not list all the applications and attributes of the herbs in these posts, but will share with you things I have experienced and guide you to other great references.

Yarrow is classified as a “bitter herb” because of the volatile oil it contains. It is not the best tasting, but you do acquire a taste for it. I don’t mind the taste any more and believe me, I have taken worse tasting things. When you realize the benefits, who cares what it tastes like anyway.

ANTISEPTIC and VIRAL INHIBITOR

BLOOD PURIFIER

CIRCULATION

COLDS AND FLU

DIGESTION

FEVER

INFLAMMATION

TONIC

This is a list of just a FEW of the many things yarrow is good for. I recommend reading 10 essential herbs, by Lalitha Thomas. Read my post about the book here.

This paragraph from Lalitha’s book is what sold me on Yarrow.

“Its volatile oil collects and absorbs many impurities (I think of it as gathering the toxins into little packets) and then, somewhat like a detergent, breaks down these “corralled” toxins into forms much easier for the body to eliminate without the usual illness symptoms.”

This winter my family has fared very well considering all the junk that is going around. No really, people at work, school, friends, family are all so sick and stay sick for some time. We have had a few colds, but they don’t last long or we just haven’t gotten sick at all. We do additional things like up the vitamin C, and a few other things to stay well, but I give the credit to the yarrow.

So if the crud is going around the neighborhood, don’t just sit there waiting for the symptoms to start, drink 1 to 2 cups of yarrow tea a day as a preventive.

If you already have symptoms, start flushing it out with 4 to 8 cups of Yarrow tea each day.

Yarrow is very easy to grow and dry yourself, which I do, but I like to stay stocked up on it and have plenty to share so I buy the dried herb in bulk from Starwest Botanicals.

To make a simple tea:

I love using this mesh tea ball with handle. Makes whipping up a cup of tea a snap!

Boil water.

Measure 1 teaspoon of the dried herb per cup of water.

Steep for 10-15 minutes.

*I like to add a little dried peppermint to my tea. It tastes good and helps clear congestion in the body.

If you have not developed a taste for Yarrow and feel you need to sweeten it a bit, use raw honey or agave nectar.

You will soon learn to love and enjoy the taste.

Sip and enjoy the soothing comfort of Yarrow tea!

Stay well and be happy!

If you have questions or have had any great experiences using Yarrow, please post and share!

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Thanks for stopping by! I hope this will be a place where you can come to be INSPIRED, find fun things to CREATE, and maybe LEARN something new. Wherever you are in your life and whatever you are doing, I hope you CHOOSE to make it simple!
"Life is meant to be enjoyed, not just endured".
Enjoy!